KOCHVILLE TOWNSHIP,
MI – A discussion on Saginaw Bay beach closings and work to monitor and research water quality is set for Wednesday, Oct. 23, at Saginaw Valley State University.

The event is sponsored by the Partnership for the Saginaw Bay Watershed. Presenters include those from the university and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

The DEQ's Shannon Briggs will discuss past and current beach monitoring and closures along Saginaw Bay. SVSU's Tami Sivy will discuss a joint project of the university and the Bay County Environmental Health Department that uses an emerging technology to achieve faster beach monitoring results. SVSU's David Karpovich will discuss the SVSU Saginaw Bay Environmental Science Institute that was founded earlier this year.

The event, set for 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., is
in seminar room D, on the second floor of Curtis Hall.

The partnership works to involve residents, local government, watershed groups, and conservation and environmental organizations in the collective work to restore water quality, recreational and commercial uses in the Saginaw Bay Watershed.

Following speakers' presentations, 3 p.m. will see the
partnership's annual meeting, lasting until 5 p.m., which is open to the
public as well.

Sam Easter is a general assignment reporter for The Bay
City Times and the Saginaw News. He can be reached at seaster@mlive.com.